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Shadows and Light #1
Light in the Shadows
Sheltered eighteen-year-old Haven arrives at the Academy to learn what it means to be seraphim. The excitement quickly fades when she struggles to understand herself and how to befriend and trust others.
But when she discovers an ancient magic within, she loses the glimpse of friendship she longs for and is thrown back into isolation. Her magic also awakens a dark shadow in her world, and catalyzes those who seek to control her, to bind her and use her for her power. And if she can’t be bound, they will ensure she is dead.
Ryker, a world walker and a demon hunter, is the only one powerful enough to contain her magic. And he knows what it is like to be wanted for someone else’s gains. Ryker’s brutal methods may give her the chance to understand her gift and control it, but they are running out of time. Haven must fight for a life she desperately wants, one where she can choose her own path and follow her heart. And, maybe, to finally find love before everything is chosen for her.
Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing, and readers who always wanted an adult version of Shadowhunters, LIGHT IN THE SHADOWS is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, self-discovery, friendships and found family, slow-burn spice, and a magical world filled with political intrigue.
But when she discovers an ancient magic within, she loses the glimpse of friendship she longs for and is thrown back into isolation. Her magic also awakens a dark shadow in her world, and catalyzes those who seek to control her, to bind her and use her for her power. And if she can’t be bound, they will ensure she is dead.
Ryker, a world walker and a demon hunter, is the only one powerful enough to contain her magic. And he knows what it is like to be wanted for someone else’s gains. Ryker’s brutal methods may give her the chance to understand her gift and control it, but they are running out of time. Haven must fight for a life she desperately wants, one where she can choose her own path and follow her heart. And, maybe, to finally find love before everything is chosen for her.
Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing, and readers who always wanted an adult version of Shadowhunters, LIGHT IN THE SHADOWS is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, self-discovery, friendships and found family, slow-burn spice, and a magical world filled with political intrigue.
546 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2023
72 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Georgia C. Leigh
10 books88 followersGeorgia spends most of her time lost in fantastical worlds, thinking up wild ways to entertain readers who love romantic fantasy.
The Shadows and Light series are Georgia's first published novels, a planned six book series of love, political intrigue, intricate worldbuilding, magic and mystical creatures, and legends and lore. The story is an epic fantasy, heavily focused on character-driven storylines, both heroes, the morally gray, and the despicable. Books 1-5 are now available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon and Audible.
Disenchanted Tales is a dark(ish) and steamy series of novels inspired by fairy tales, myths and fables. Book 1 -3 are now available on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon.
Georgia lives in California and when not spending time with her family, working and writing, she is an avid competitive equestrian.
TikTok: GeorgiaCLeigh
Threads: GeorgiaCLeigh
Instagram: GeorgiaCLeigh
Facebook: Georgia C Leigh
BlueSky: GeorgiaCLeigh
Website: www.georgiacleigh.com
The Shadows and Light series are Georgia's first published novels, a planned six book series of love, political intrigue, intricate worldbuilding, magic and mystical creatures, and legends and lore. The story is an epic fantasy, heavily focused on character-driven storylines, both heroes, the morally gray, and the despicable. Books 1-5 are now available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon and Audible.
Disenchanted Tales is a dark(ish) and steamy series of novels inspired by fairy tales, myths and fables. Book 1 -3 are now available on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon.
Georgia lives in California and when not spending time with her family, working and writing, she is an avid competitive equestrian.
TikTok: GeorgiaCLeigh
Threads: GeorgiaCLeigh
Instagram: GeorgiaCLeigh
Facebook: Georgia C Leigh
BlueSky: GeorgiaCLeigh
Website: www.georgiacleigh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 22, 2023
Immediate thoughts after finishing: HOLY SH*T WTF JUST HAPPENED?!?!? 😳😱😱😭 My eyes won’t stop bugging and my mouth won’t close from the permanent gape that ending left me with! 😵 My goddess! I feel like I need to cry but I’m still in such shock that the tears just don’t know whether to come or not. WHOA! This book was damn good and I will for sure be reading the next one.
Longer review to follow once I pick up the pieces of my shattered heart (and brain too, bc I still feel like I didn’t actually read what I just read!).
**Additional review, spoiler-free**
Ok, now that I've had some time to process...whew! That was an intense ride for the last 10-15%! BUT, this book was great, I loved it. I'm obsessed with fantasies around wings and flying (and I love me some winged men, I feel like that's all I've been reading lately and I'm not mad about it), so this was right up my alley and what snagged my attention. This book is about a young seraphim who goes to an academy to learn how to use her magic and how to fly and fight (very loose description of the plot). She meets others like her, forms friendships (found family), discovers things about herself, and gets her heart a little banged up along the way. There are also other characters and plots going on around her as well that will cross paths with her journey. Right away I noticed there were going to be A LOT of characters and a lot going on in this book/world, and over the course of the book there were times were I did get confused on who was who or what their station was in the world. I think that usually happened if the story had been away from those characters for a while, but the context of conversation usually did a good job of bringing everything back into sight. Also the maps... there are like 3 of them! I thought this book did a decent job of discreet info dumping (regarding politics of the world/time, history, etc), however I still kind of felt like I was missing some big-picture things at the end of it. Honestly, that could have been just me though, not to mention I was reading this on a Kindle. I find that I have a harder time with books like this on a Kindle because I find it harder to go back and reference things compared to a physical book. Again, that could just be me. I also didn't do a lot of highlighting in this one because I got swept up in the story a little bit, haha. Which is a good thing right?? Looking back, I did note that I thought a glossary of names and/or character terms/types would have been helpful just to kind of give a little more clarity and serve as a permanent reference point for the reader. Other books that I've seen do that have been super helpful for myself.
Haven's character developed quite well over the course of this story. Obviously she's young when it first starts (and still when it ends, but like 3 years later), but she goes through sooo much and learns quite a bit about herself and other people. Her arc makes you feel proud of her by the end, but also so incredibly sad at the same time. She becomes this fierce thing that can kick some ass, but is also still very vulnerable and still has a lot to learn (a great launching pad for the next book). I want to say more about her, but I also don't want to spoil the story for people. I'm really looking forward to seeing where her story goes next.
Since the book opens with Ryker, I'll speak on him next. Oh my sweet soul Ryker...This man...I have to be careful what I say about him here, haha. I absolutely love him, let me start there. Him and his twin River are the epitome of good v. evil...I said what I said. Ryker's development over the course of this story is a little less seen compared to Haven, but I think that's by design for a couple reasons that you will see when you read the book. For one, he's much older, so the growth/change for him is not going to be as prevalent as with Haven. But also, Haven is kind of the primary character in this first book, so her development is going to be seen and experienced the most. But I think the reader will be able to appreciate both journeys as they unfold.
Now, let's talk spice...much of the beginning of the book, probably the first half at least, was a lot of flirting, casual dating, and a lot of fade-to-black moments. Now, I am not a fade-to-black kind of gal, but honestly with the amount of BS that Haven had to incur between Larkin and River, and then going through training with Ryker...I didn't really even think about it too much. I was kinda with her, like "F these dudes" I don't need 'em anyways. HAHA! But then that GOOD SLOW BURN starts up and that beautiful tension starts happening and it just builds and builds. Then finally, sh*t explodes and you're just gobbling that sh*t up left and right and falling in love all over the place! (AKA, spice goes from 0 to 100 real quick and it is soooo good.) You're thinking, oh my goodness this is just so beautiful, you know, crying tears of joy for them and the fact that they finally found their happiness. THEN THE ENDING HAPPENS AND YOUR HEART IS FREAKIN SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES! Like of course people can't just be happy, then there wouldn't be 3 more books in the series, hahaha!
So as you can imagine, I would definitely recommend this book! Great start to a new fantasy romance series. If you're looking for something different and new from an indie author, take a chance on this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed! 🤙🏼💕
*Read via NetGalley
Longer review to follow once I pick up the pieces of my shattered heart (and brain too, bc I still feel like I didn’t actually read what I just read!).
**Additional review, spoiler-free**
Ok, now that I've had some time to process...whew! That was an intense ride for the last 10-15%! BUT, this book was great, I loved it. I'm obsessed with fantasies around wings and flying (and I love me some winged men, I feel like that's all I've been reading lately and I'm not mad about it), so this was right up my alley and what snagged my attention. This book is about a young seraphim who goes to an academy to learn how to use her magic and how to fly and fight (very loose description of the plot). She meets others like her, forms friendships (found family), discovers things about herself, and gets her heart a little banged up along the way. There are also other characters and plots going on around her as well that will cross paths with her journey. Right away I noticed there were going to be A LOT of characters and a lot going on in this book/world, and over the course of the book there were times were I did get confused on who was who or what their station was in the world. I think that usually happened if the story had been away from those characters for a while, but the context of conversation usually did a good job of bringing everything back into sight. Also the maps... there are like 3 of them! I thought this book did a decent job of discreet info dumping (regarding politics of the world/time, history, etc), however I still kind of felt like I was missing some big-picture things at the end of it. Honestly, that could have been just me though, not to mention I was reading this on a Kindle. I find that I have a harder time with books like this on a Kindle because I find it harder to go back and reference things compared to a physical book. Again, that could just be me. I also didn't do a lot of highlighting in this one because I got swept up in the story a little bit, haha. Which is a good thing right?? Looking back, I did note that I thought a glossary of names and/or character terms/types would have been helpful just to kind of give a little more clarity and serve as a permanent reference point for the reader. Other books that I've seen do that have been super helpful for myself.
Haven's character developed quite well over the course of this story. Obviously she's young when it first starts (and still when it ends, but like 3 years later), but she goes through sooo much and learns quite a bit about herself and other people. Her arc makes you feel proud of her by the end, but also so incredibly sad at the same time. She becomes this fierce thing that can kick some ass, but is also still very vulnerable and still has a lot to learn (a great launching pad for the next book). I want to say more about her, but I also don't want to spoil the story for people. I'm really looking forward to seeing where her story goes next.
Since the book opens with Ryker, I'll speak on him next. Oh my sweet soul Ryker...This man...I have to be careful what I say about him here, haha. I absolutely love him, let me start there. Him and his twin River are the epitome of good v. evil...I said what I said. Ryker's development over the course of this story is a little less seen compared to Haven, but I think that's by design for a couple reasons that you will see when you read the book. For one, he's much older, so the growth/change for him is not going to be as prevalent as with Haven. But also, Haven is kind of the primary character in this first book, so her development is going to be seen and experienced the most. But I think the reader will be able to appreciate both journeys as they unfold.
Now, let's talk spice...much of the beginning of the book, probably the first half at least, was a lot of flirting, casual dating, and a lot of fade-to-black moments. Now, I am not a fade-to-black kind of gal, but honestly with the amount of BS that Haven had to incur between Larkin and River, and then going through training with Ryker...I didn't really even think about it too much. I was kinda with her, like "F these dudes" I don't need 'em anyways. HAHA! But then that GOOD SLOW BURN starts up and that beautiful tension starts happening and it just builds and builds. Then finally, sh*t explodes and you're just gobbling that sh*t up left and right and falling in love all over the place! (AKA, spice goes from 0 to 100 real quick and it is soooo good.) You're thinking, oh my goodness this is just so beautiful, you know, crying tears of joy for them and the fact that they finally found their happiness. THEN THE ENDING HAPPENS AND YOUR HEART IS FREAKIN SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES! Like of course people can't just be happy, then there wouldn't be 3 more books in the series, hahaha!
So as you can imagine, I would definitely recommend this book! Great start to a new fantasy romance series. If you're looking for something different and new from an indie author, take a chance on this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed! 🤙🏼💕
*Read via NetGalley
February 13, 2023
I just want friends and a life!
Haven has been isolated from people all of her life until she reaches the academy! As a seraphim she is learning to protect people. She also has magic and special talents .
Her talent isolation from people again. As she works to learn how to control her magic her talent and her wings can she now develop relationships with people ?
Will she be able to find true love as she works on all of these things? What role will Ryker play in her life?
A delightful, enchanting story which held me spellbound. I look forward to George's next book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Haven has been isolated from people all of her life until she reaches the academy! As a seraphim she is learning to protect people. She also has magic and special talents .
Her talent isolation from people again. As she works to learn how to control her magic her talent and her wings can she now develop relationships with people ?
Will she be able to find true love as she works on all of these things? What role will Ryker play in her life?
A delightful, enchanting story which held me spellbound. I look forward to George's next book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 12, 2023
3.5 out of 5 stars, but rounding down for this one.
Overall, Haven and Ryker’s story is unique and full of adventure and romance that pulls the reader in. Fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments and Becca Fitzpatrick‘s Hush, Hush will find this story to be a more adult fantasy version of these YA favorites.
The characters were great, and it was nice to see the relationship development throughout the story. The overall plot had a good pace and it was easy to follow.
The only thing keeping me from rating the book higher is the world building. From the start there is a lot of “tell don’t show” that is going on. Names of certain species/demon(?) types with no initial explanation, Ryker’s opening with us knowing he was weak due to traveling and how his powers work(when we had not yet seen any of his powers), and the training for the Academy that Haven goes to(when we had received any explanation for why this is significant), left me feeling only half invested in the world. EVENTUALLY, you pick up on all these info dumps and can build a good world, but I just felt that the initial world dumping (names, powers, ect) took away from the story. Having authentic moments in dialogue and action that revealed these aspects, rather than the characters reflecting on it for no reason in their head, would feel much more immersive.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will DEFINITELY read the second book, if only to have a resolution to the ending (without giving spoilers I was both upset by it but also enjoyed the set up for the plot of the second book).
Overall, Haven and Ryker’s story is unique and full of adventure and romance that pulls the reader in. Fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments and Becca Fitzpatrick‘s Hush, Hush will find this story to be a more adult fantasy version of these YA favorites.
The characters were great, and it was nice to see the relationship development throughout the story. The overall plot had a good pace and it was easy to follow.
The only thing keeping me from rating the book higher is the world building. From the start there is a lot of “tell don’t show” that is going on. Names of certain species/demon(?) types with no initial explanation, Ryker’s opening with us knowing he was weak due to traveling and how his powers work(when we had not yet seen any of his powers), and the training for the Academy that Haven goes to(when we had received any explanation for why this is significant), left me feeling only half invested in the world. EVENTUALLY, you pick up on all these info dumps and can build a good world, but I just felt that the initial world dumping (names, powers, ect) took away from the story. Having authentic moments in dialogue and action that revealed these aspects, rather than the characters reflecting on it for no reason in their head, would feel much more immersive.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will DEFINITELY read the second book, if only to have a resolution to the ending (without giving spoilers I was both upset by it but also enjoyed the set up for the plot of the second book).
December 31, 2023
This book was phenomenal. It kept me wanting more. Last night I “one last chaptered” myself for 3 additional hours, staying up way longer than intended and finished in a couple hours the following afternoon. This was my first read on a kindle and I couldn’t have asked for a better start. I’m starting book two right away, because I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Read
November 21, 2025DNFing a little before 25%. We have just made it past a second love interest and, while there are what feels like 50+ characters, every single character sounds exactly the same. 😵💫 Not rating one star as I did not get to 50%.
January 11, 2023
Haven is excited to finally arrive at the Academy and learn the ins and outs of being a seraphim. But she has spent her whole life hidden away, and the world of socialising and getting to know others isn’t something she is overly familiar with. As Haven finds herself thrown into an entirely new world, it is not just learning to control her gifts that she must focus on, but also figuring out who to trust.
Ryker is an incredibly powerful seraphim, with a unique gift. When an ancient magic is discovered within Haven, Ryker finds himself working with her to try and gain her control over them before they are used to control her. Many people would use her for the powers she holds, and Ryker has little time to try and teach her.
Haven is an incredibly strong character, although she is not without her limits. She struggles a lot in this book, as she makes friends, but pushes them away when things get hard, even though she really needs them. Haven is not used to relying on others to help her, but rather withdraws into herself when she doesn’t know how to keep going. I absolutely loved reading about Haven, and watching her grow as a person. Nearer the start of the book, she is incredibly naive, although she has never had proper friends, so she is unlearned in the workings of other people. She does gain an understanding of the world as she spends more time at the Academy, and I found myself liking her more the further into the book I read.
I found the Academy itself rather interesting. It reminded me a little of the training in the Divergent series, as all the young adults work to grow their physical and mental skills, but with a fantasy twist on it, with wings, and magical powers. There are plenty of people who work outside of the Academy who come in to teach their own specialised skills, and these people are mainly the ones who change Haven’s life. In particular, Ryker and his twin brother, River. I could go on and on about how much I hate River, although I feel I would begin to spoil the story, so I don’t want to get onto the topic of him. Ryker, however, is absolutely lovely. He finds himself doing things he doesn’t want to do for Haven’s benefit, and puts himself through things that affect him, just to ensure she is safe. Their training together is not always pleasant to read about, but just knowing the sacrifices he makes for her, when he doesn’t even know her, is proof that he is a fabulous person, and a wonderful character to read about.
This book did take a while to get started. There is little explanation about the world itself, and I found it difficult to figure out what was happening, and why. There are also a lot of characters to keep up with, and the relationships are a little tricky to figure out at first, when you don’t know what’s going on with the setting. I do wish there was a little more explanation about the setting, for I think it would help the reader understand what was happening immediately, although if you stick with it, things slowly sort themselves out, and it gets easier to follow all the individual characters as their paths intertwine.
I wasn’t aware, going into this, quite how long the book itself was. Only when I came to write this review did I realise that this book is 546 pages long, and is book 1 of 4 in the series. There is not necessarily a lot of romance in this book, but it follows Haven’s time at the Academy in great detail, clearly building up necessary relationships and information for books yet to come. It did take me quite a while to read this book, which I was not expecting, but I did enjoy how in-depth the book is. There are plenty of books, I will use the example of Divergent again, where there are time skips, and I wished to follow the characters thorough their entire journey. This book allowed me to do that, and I felt I connected to Haven more by following her so closely.
Fantasy itself is a very broad genre, but if you are a fan of fantasy that follows young adults in a school, that includes learning to control dangerous magical abilities, and has a few steamy moments here and there, this is certainly the book for you! I can’t wait to continue reading this series. Book two can’t come soon enough!
Ryker is an incredibly powerful seraphim, with a unique gift. When an ancient magic is discovered within Haven, Ryker finds himself working with her to try and gain her control over them before they are used to control her. Many people would use her for the powers she holds, and Ryker has little time to try and teach her.
Haven is an incredibly strong character, although she is not without her limits. She struggles a lot in this book, as she makes friends, but pushes them away when things get hard, even though she really needs them. Haven is not used to relying on others to help her, but rather withdraws into herself when she doesn’t know how to keep going. I absolutely loved reading about Haven, and watching her grow as a person. Nearer the start of the book, she is incredibly naive, although she has never had proper friends, so she is unlearned in the workings of other people. She does gain an understanding of the world as she spends more time at the Academy, and I found myself liking her more the further into the book I read.
I found the Academy itself rather interesting. It reminded me a little of the training in the Divergent series, as all the young adults work to grow their physical and mental skills, but with a fantasy twist on it, with wings, and magical powers. There are plenty of people who work outside of the Academy who come in to teach their own specialised skills, and these people are mainly the ones who change Haven’s life. In particular, Ryker and his twin brother, River. I could go on and on about how much I hate River, although I feel I would begin to spoil the story, so I don’t want to get onto the topic of him. Ryker, however, is absolutely lovely. He finds himself doing things he doesn’t want to do for Haven’s benefit, and puts himself through things that affect him, just to ensure she is safe. Their training together is not always pleasant to read about, but just knowing the sacrifices he makes for her, when he doesn’t even know her, is proof that he is a fabulous person, and a wonderful character to read about.
This book did take a while to get started. There is little explanation about the world itself, and I found it difficult to figure out what was happening, and why. There are also a lot of characters to keep up with, and the relationships are a little tricky to figure out at first, when you don’t know what’s going on with the setting. I do wish there was a little more explanation about the setting, for I think it would help the reader understand what was happening immediately, although if you stick with it, things slowly sort themselves out, and it gets easier to follow all the individual characters as their paths intertwine.
I wasn’t aware, going into this, quite how long the book itself was. Only when I came to write this review did I realise that this book is 546 pages long, and is book 1 of 4 in the series. There is not necessarily a lot of romance in this book, but it follows Haven’s time at the Academy in great detail, clearly building up necessary relationships and information for books yet to come. It did take me quite a while to read this book, which I was not expecting, but I did enjoy how in-depth the book is. There are plenty of books, I will use the example of Divergent again, where there are time skips, and I wished to follow the characters thorough their entire journey. This book allowed me to do that, and I felt I connected to Haven more by following her so closely.
Fantasy itself is a very broad genre, but if you are a fan of fantasy that follows young adults in a school, that includes learning to control dangerous magical abilities, and has a few steamy moments here and there, this is certainly the book for you! I can’t wait to continue reading this series. Book two can’t come soon enough!
March 15, 2023
3.5/5
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review- thank you to Cask publishing and NetGalley!
18-year-old Haven arrives at the Academy ready to discover her place among the seraphim warriors. While learning what it means to have friends, and to trust and love them openly, she discovers an ancient power. She's suddenly thrust into a world she doesn't understand, with a love triangle to complicate everything. There's corruption in the government that will come to drastically affect her, and she may be everyone's only hope at survival.
------
My short summary feels woefully incomplete, but wow that was hard to write without spoilers! I have a lot of feelings about this book. There's no way to write this review without spoilers, so **SPOILERS BELOW**
To begin with things I liked:
-I felt like this story is 95% character-driven, 5% plot-driven. Be warned, if you want a complex plot, you won't get it. The first half (at least) is just about Haven's years at the academy and her learning to control her powers and her wings. There's also quite a bit of the tactical exercises the cadets go on, which didn't really do anything for the story except establish that tactical wargaming is something Haven is good at. I didn't really have a problem with this, I love a good character-driven story, it just felt almost like a prequel to really establish the characters before the main storyline gets going.
-Haven's journey in letting go of her past and learning to trust and love her friends was heartwarming. I do hope that we eventually get a little more of her backstory, as we were told rather than shown what her childhood was like. However, with the direction it seems like the story is taking, this seems unlikely. Not the end of the world.
-The concept and the world are unique. There are so many possibilities right now that there is no predicting where this series will go. I'll definitely continue it.
Some things I didn't necessarily love/questions I was left with:
-As soon as Haven discovers her powers, we immediately fall into the "overpowered young female needs ancient overpowered male to teach her how to harness her powers and oh what do you know, they're mates" trope. I'm a little bit over this one.
-There was a lot of casually mentioned (not explicitly written, but very much alluded to) SA. A line/sentiment that was repeated that really stuck out to me was "it was nice to not have to fight off a male at the end of a night." I know this is a sad reality for a lot of people, but the River scene was a tough read. I don't feel like that was ever properly dealt with, it was very much just brushed off.
-The main plot line with the demons and the glowing power rock and Lilith and Rocque and the djinn is all SO confusing and was only done through info dumping. I don't feel like I know what is going on at all. I grew to dread Lilith's POV chapters because they were a little boring and a lot confusing.
-I need to know way more about Ryker in general before I'm invested in him. We got a decent amount of what his daily life is, but I don't feel like I know who he as a person is. I could see his and Haven's relationship coming from a mile away (not a bad thing, I think it was intentional), but it still managed to seem sudden. Like they went from kind of hating each other to being obsessed with each other in a matter of days.
-What exactly are the shadow walkers? Why are there only three of them? What is their role (fighting demons?? I think??) and how are their powers related to Haven's powers? I need a lot more about them in the next book.
-I have no idea how the magic system works. Where do the special powers come from? Can everyone use runes? What do the runes actually do?
-WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ENDING. It came completely out of left field and really, really threw me off.
I know it seems like I don't like this book because of the large list above, but I did actually really enjoy it. I just have a lot of questions that need to be answered and I hope the next book does so. I think most fantasy/romantasy readers will enjoy this, especially if they like character-driven stories. It was a good jumping off point for what has potential to turn into a really excellent series!
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review- thank you to Cask publishing and NetGalley!
18-year-old Haven arrives at the Academy ready to discover her place among the seraphim warriors. While learning what it means to have friends, and to trust and love them openly, she discovers an ancient power. She's suddenly thrust into a world she doesn't understand, with a love triangle to complicate everything. There's corruption in the government that will come to drastically affect her, and she may be everyone's only hope at survival.
------
My short summary feels woefully incomplete, but wow that was hard to write without spoilers! I have a lot of feelings about this book. There's no way to write this review without spoilers, so **SPOILERS BELOW**
To begin with things I liked:
-I felt like this story is 95% character-driven, 5% plot-driven. Be warned, if you want a complex plot, you won't get it. The first half (at least) is just about Haven's years at the academy and her learning to control her powers and her wings. There's also quite a bit of the tactical exercises the cadets go on, which didn't really do anything for the story except establish that tactical wargaming is something Haven is good at. I didn't really have a problem with this, I love a good character-driven story, it just felt almost like a prequel to really establish the characters before the main storyline gets going.
-Haven's journey in letting go of her past and learning to trust and love her friends was heartwarming. I do hope that we eventually get a little more of her backstory, as we were told rather than shown what her childhood was like. However, with the direction it seems like the story is taking, this seems unlikely. Not the end of the world.
-The concept and the world are unique. There are so many possibilities right now that there is no predicting where this series will go. I'll definitely continue it.
Some things I didn't necessarily love/questions I was left with:
-As soon as Haven discovers her powers, we immediately fall into the "overpowered young female needs ancient overpowered male to teach her how to harness her powers and oh what do you know, they're mates" trope. I'm a little bit over this one.
-There was a lot of casually mentioned (not explicitly written, but very much alluded to) SA. A line/sentiment that was repeated that really stuck out to me was "it was nice to not have to fight off a male at the end of a night." I know this is a sad reality for a lot of people, but the River scene was a tough read. I don't feel like that was ever properly dealt with, it was very much just brushed off.
-The main plot line with the demons and the glowing power rock and Lilith and Rocque and the djinn is all SO confusing and was only done through info dumping. I don't feel like I know what is going on at all. I grew to dread Lilith's POV chapters because they were a little boring and a lot confusing.
-I need to know way more about Ryker in general before I'm invested in him. We got a decent amount of what his daily life is, but I don't feel like I know who he as a person is. I could see his and Haven's relationship coming from a mile away (not a bad thing, I think it was intentional), but it still managed to seem sudden. Like they went from kind of hating each other to being obsessed with each other in a matter of days.
-What exactly are the shadow walkers? Why are there only three of them? What is their role (fighting demons?? I think??) and how are their powers related to Haven's powers? I need a lot more about them in the next book.
-I have no idea how the magic system works. Where do the special powers come from? Can everyone use runes? What do the runes actually do?
-WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ENDING. It came completely out of left field and really, really threw me off.
I know it seems like I don't like this book because of the large list above, but I did actually really enjoy it. I just have a lot of questions that need to be answered and I hope the next book does so. I think most fantasy/romantasy readers will enjoy this, especially if they like character-driven stories. It was a good jumping off point for what has potential to turn into a really excellent series!
February 13, 2024
I’m going to attempt to write this review with zero spoilers.
The good-
You get multiple POVs
This book has everything.
Seraphim, Demons, Magic, Hate, Angst, and the greatest of all, Love. Love of yourself, friendship, and true love.
You’ll find characters you fall in love with, want to be best friends with, and want to destroy with the very essence of your being.
First you’ll meet Ryker and his Triad, just a normal group of friends who can cross pales into other worlds, fights demons and save humanity. No big deal. 😜
Next you meet Haven, she’s entering the academy, where you go to find and train your gifts/magic, combat training, and so much more.
She’s been isolated her whole life, now she’s going to be with her Pod of 8, every singular moment for the next 3 years.
You never realize how lonely you’ve truly been, and closed off your heart is until you’re shoved together with a group of people and forced to rely on each other for everything.
There are a bunch of side characters, and I hate calling them that because they are all worthy of their own main story. (Here’s looking at you Dax)
This brings me to the “bad” which is a good thing to have an issue with.
Maybe you get too many POVs?
There was a lot.
A lot of side stories that are honestly big enough, and interesting enough to be a main story.
A lot of characters.
A lot of pieces moving at the same time that you could get lost if you weren’t paying attention.
It could have been stream lined a bit more, and given us more books to cover some of the stuff.
Another way to address it would’ve been to give a bit more world building and back story.
This is why I say my complaints are good, the issue is being there’s so much good stuff, I want more detail, more books, not just glimpses.
I definitely recommend reading this series, just know you’ll be asking for more.
The good-
You get multiple POVs
This book has everything.
Seraphim, Demons, Magic, Hate, Angst, and the greatest of all, Love. Love of yourself, friendship, and true love.
You’ll find characters you fall in love with, want to be best friends with, and want to destroy with the very essence of your being.
First you’ll meet Ryker and his Triad, just a normal group of friends who can cross pales into other worlds, fights demons and save humanity. No big deal. 😜
Next you meet Haven, she’s entering the academy, where you go to find and train your gifts/magic, combat training, and so much more.
She’s been isolated her whole life, now she’s going to be with her Pod of 8, every singular moment for the next 3 years.
You never realize how lonely you’ve truly been, and closed off your heart is until you’re shoved together with a group of people and forced to rely on each other for everything.
There are a bunch of side characters, and I hate calling them that because they are all worthy of their own main story. (Here’s looking at you Dax)
This brings me to the “bad” which is a good thing to have an issue with.
Maybe you get too many POVs?
There was a lot.
A lot of side stories that are honestly big enough, and interesting enough to be a main story.
A lot of characters.
A lot of pieces moving at the same time that you could get lost if you weren’t paying attention.
It could have been stream lined a bit more, and given us more books to cover some of the stuff.
Another way to address it would’ve been to give a bit more world building and back story.
This is why I say my complaints are good, the issue is being there’s so much good stuff, I want more detail, more books, not just glimpses.
I definitely recommend reading this series, just know you’ll be asking for more.
January 14, 2023
This book captured me so completely. The first half contains a lot of information. Readers will be pulled into a world full of magic with seraphims and shadow walkers. Haven has been isolated since birth with playmates paid to be there. Her journey into the world starts with a three-year stint at the Academy. In these three years, cadets are in a pod that go through the Academy together. The pod learns how to lean on each other and become friends. While Haven is discovering her magic, an ancient and rare magic is revealed that must be developed and controlled.
Ryker is a shadow walker and a demon hunter. As an instructor at the Academy, Ryker finds that his magic is the best way to control Haven’s magic. They spend time together and things change between them but there are forces that want to bind Haven’s magic to make themselves more powerful.
Everyone is a suspect. Everyone seems to an ulterior motive. Unfortunately, this book does end in a hell of a cliffhanger. Readers will be on pins and needles waiting for the next installment.
Ryker is a shadow walker and a demon hunter. As an instructor at the Academy, Ryker finds that his magic is the best way to control Haven’s magic. They spend time together and things change between them but there are forces that want to bind Haven’s magic to make themselves more powerful.
Everyone is a suspect. Everyone seems to an ulterior motive. Unfortunately, this book does end in a hell of a cliffhanger. Readers will be on pins and needles waiting for the next installment.
October 5, 2023
For the supernatural angels and demon lovers, this was a fun, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, multi-POV, power main character storyline. The world-building was a little difficult to grasp and could have happened earlier in the story, but otherwise, it was intriguing, The story was very character-driven and read like an adult Cassandra Clare book - spicy with magic, training, and political intrigue with good twists and turns. Content warning: there are frequent casual references to SA that may be hard for some readers and trauma is easily glossed over and could have used more in-depth discussions.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 19, 2022
A stunning read that sent shivers down my spine! For a fantasy book (which I've read so many) this really gave me something new to love.
Pros:
Character building is excellent
Scenes and flow is on point 👌
Plot is to die for, well put together
Details/descriptions were unique
Cons:
At the beginning I felt thrown into the middle of the book like I had missed the part explaining the world, academy, powers and people. Until I eas further in the book I finally had some understanding but the beginning was hard for me to grasp exactly who had what and what was what 😅
I can't wait to read more of this series and what else the author has in store 💕
Pros:
Character building is excellent
Scenes and flow is on point 👌
Plot is to die for, well put together
Details/descriptions were unique
Cons:
At the beginning I felt thrown into the middle of the book like I had missed the part explaining the world, academy, powers and people. Until I eas further in the book I finally had some understanding but the beginning was hard for me to grasp exactly who had what and what was what 😅
I can't wait to read more of this series and what else the author has in store 💕
January 1, 2024
I listen to this book on audible and the narrator did an amazing job! But the overall story was perfection. I loved the enemies to lovers taking place with Ryker and Haven. Their blossoming love and the fact that they had so much dislike that eventually turned to line and then more.
The plot twists, the complete surprise with Havens bloodline and what she is, I couldn’t get enough with how strong this girl is and I hope that she and Ryker can make it through and the storyline goes on.
The plot twists, the complete surprise with Havens bloodline and what she is, I couldn’t get enough with how strong this girl is and I hope that she and Ryker can make it through and the storyline goes on.
December 23, 2023
Light in the Shadows is the first book in the Shadows and Light saga, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Because this the beginning of a five book arc, this one serves to introduce some of the characters, the world, and the political system. It was a bit of a slower burn than I expected, but I enjoyed learning about the lives of the characters, how they fit in into the political systems being developed, and the relationships that were being built.
While most of the book occurred over a three-year period where the MC Haven was attending the academy to learn about her magic and what it means to be a seraphim, there were enough scenes away from it that gave you a glimpse of the actual world. At first, due to the prologue, I thought there would be overlap with Earth, but that actually didn't happen and this was something I really enjoyed. I like stories about academies and how young people are trained, and I really liked the setup and how relationships were forged, how you learned to really care for those in your unit, trust they had your back at all times, and worked together at all moments of the day. Naturally, there was going to be personal angst as well, that is to be expected when you live in such close quarters with people for such a long time.
I like Haven's personal development quite a bit. She went from being unsure how to forge relationships to learning how to open up and share her secrets, although I do think there is a lot more to tell. Although I felt there was something important about her, I was surprised when the reveal came as I was not expecting it, but I liked how it just flowed with the story. Ryker's character was not as developed as Haven's simply because he is older, attended the academy decades ago, so it was not necessary to really develop him at this point in time. I liked learning about his job in the present time and what he was doing, although even that was not really fully told. I am a patient person however, and can wait to find out more. The secondary characters were not quite as developed as the main ones, but with four books to come, I think we will learn more about them as we go.
The plot was fast-paced, with changing alliances and the start of political intrigue. The writing style was good and certainly kept me interested. I did think the author had a tendency to give away too much information through the use of multiple POV which affected the overall tension and suspense as you could tell what was going to happen. While it was not necessarily the POV that was the issue, it was the giving away of information in these scenes that caused the problems so it was incredibly easy to figure things out. I would have liked a bit more guess work on my part as it would have elevated the tension level and left me more surprised than it did.
Light in the Shadows is a great start to the series, and while it did start slow, I actually didn't mind that at all. The writing style has a way of engaging you despite the fact the multiple POV gives away some important plot points which reduces the overall tension in the story. Some intriguing relationships and intrigues have begun to sprout so I am interested to see how they will develop and harm our main characters in future books.
While most of the book occurred over a three-year period where the MC Haven was attending the academy to learn about her magic and what it means to be a seraphim, there were enough scenes away from it that gave you a glimpse of the actual world. At first, due to the prologue, I thought there would be overlap with Earth, but that actually didn't happen and this was something I really enjoyed. I like stories about academies and how young people are trained, and I really liked the setup and how relationships were forged, how you learned to really care for those in your unit, trust they had your back at all times, and worked together at all moments of the day. Naturally, there was going to be personal angst as well, that is to be expected when you live in such close quarters with people for such a long time.
I like Haven's personal development quite a bit. She went from being unsure how to forge relationships to learning how to open up and share her secrets, although I do think there is a lot more to tell. Although I felt there was something important about her, I was surprised when the reveal came as I was not expecting it, but I liked how it just flowed with the story. Ryker's character was not as developed as Haven's simply because he is older, attended the academy decades ago, so it was not necessary to really develop him at this point in time. I liked learning about his job in the present time and what he was doing, although even that was not really fully told. I am a patient person however, and can wait to find out more. The secondary characters were not quite as developed as the main ones, but with four books to come, I think we will learn more about them as we go.
The plot was fast-paced, with changing alliances and the start of political intrigue. The writing style was good and certainly kept me interested. I did think the author had a tendency to give away too much information through the use of multiple POV which affected the overall tension and suspense as you could tell what was going to happen. While it was not necessarily the POV that was the issue, it was the giving away of information in these scenes that caused the problems so it was incredibly easy to figure things out. I would have liked a bit more guess work on my part as it would have elevated the tension level and left me more surprised than it did.
Light in the Shadows is a great start to the series, and while it did start slow, I actually didn't mind that at all. The writing style has a way of engaging you despite the fact the multiple POV gives away some important plot points which reduces the overall tension in the story. Some intriguing relationships and intrigues have begun to sprout so I am interested to see how they will develop and harm our main characters in future books.
January 23, 2024
Remember your favorite fantasy story from your young adulthood. Now add a fair amount of spice. What you get is Light in the Shadows by Georgia C. Leigh. Light in the Shadows is an adult high fantasy adventure of your favorite epic story from youth. Leigh builds an entire world that engulfs you in and connects you to the characters, almost as if you are part of Haven’s pod at the academy. I did a tandem read of the audio and the ebook. I highly recommend both.
Our story focuses around our FMC Haven who is already struggling with the trials and tribulations of adolescence, might as well throw being a seraphim in the mix. As her parents are high political figures, she has a lot of weight on her shoulders as she is the next in line to follow in their footsteps. Haven attends the academy to learn more about being a seraphim and how to hone her magic, learn how to fight and fly.
At first at the Academy, Haven builds relationships with her podmates and tries her hand at some romantic relationships. It is the second half of her time at school where her main and more serious relationship starts to build and build and build. Something shifted for Haven in her studies. Now she needs to even now be more careful about who or what she interacts with and who she puts her trust in.
Something Leigh does really well in her world building is putting an emphasis also on the importance of the supporting cast and also the antagonists. You get to know almost everyone who comes in contact with Haven and those who want to come in contact with her and have not yet.
Haven is a strong FMC for our story, being so young at the start, we as readers are able to see her growth over the three years she spends at the Academy. Throughout those years she is pursued by various fellas at the Academy, cadets and even trainers. After kissing some frogs she finally lands a prince, their attraction is there but the slow burn of the start of their relationship is such a good romantic and sexual tension builder. Once together, their love is tested by others. Everyone wants a piece of Haven due to her special and rare powers she possesses.
Seeing as I read the audiobook as well as the ebook, I have to give a shout out to Shelley Reece, the narrator of the series. Reece’s talent behind her voice don’t bring just that to the book but they provide Leigh’s characters with an added dimension. The reader is able to distinguish which character is speaking before that narrator identifies them because each character voice is so unique.
Don’t sleep on this high fantasy, paranormal romance adventure! It is packed with a balance of strong world building, a strong FMC, enemies to lovers, fated mates, love triangles and many more.
Our story focuses around our FMC Haven who is already struggling with the trials and tribulations of adolescence, might as well throw being a seraphim in the mix. As her parents are high political figures, she has a lot of weight on her shoulders as she is the next in line to follow in their footsteps. Haven attends the academy to learn more about being a seraphim and how to hone her magic, learn how to fight and fly.
At first at the Academy, Haven builds relationships with her podmates and tries her hand at some romantic relationships. It is the second half of her time at school where her main and more serious relationship starts to build and build and build. Something shifted for Haven in her studies. Now she needs to even now be more careful about who or what she interacts with and who she puts her trust in.
Something Leigh does really well in her world building is putting an emphasis also on the importance of the supporting cast and also the antagonists. You get to know almost everyone who comes in contact with Haven and those who want to come in contact with her and have not yet.
Haven is a strong FMC for our story, being so young at the start, we as readers are able to see her growth over the three years she spends at the Academy. Throughout those years she is pursued by various fellas at the Academy, cadets and even trainers. After kissing some frogs she finally lands a prince, their attraction is there but the slow burn of the start of their relationship is such a good romantic and sexual tension builder. Once together, their love is tested by others. Everyone wants a piece of Haven due to her special and rare powers she possesses.
Seeing as I read the audiobook as well as the ebook, I have to give a shout out to Shelley Reece, the narrator of the series. Reece’s talent behind her voice don’t bring just that to the book but they provide Leigh’s characters with an added dimension. The reader is able to distinguish which character is speaking before that narrator identifies them because each character voice is so unique.
Don’t sleep on this high fantasy, paranormal romance adventure! It is packed with a balance of strong world building, a strong FMC, enemies to lovers, fated mates, love triangles and many more.
September 25, 2023
I am completely obsessed with this story and these characters!
This story takes place over the course of 3 years and there was a LOT of character development and progression for Haven. She has become one of my favorite female main characters of all time!
At the beginning of the story Haven arrives at the academy as a cadet for her training as seraphim. She is 18 and has lived her life in isolation; she'd never even left her family compound until the day she arrived. The first half of the story focuses on her struggles to control her growing powers, her training at the academy, and the relationships she builds (and loses) with the other characters. I've always loved stories about schools/academies that teach magic and combat, so I found the entire process and her struggles very entertaining. I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, so I'll just say: Haven really struggles and suffers, but she turns out to be really tough.
Part of Haven's training, and her struggles, involve Riker and his abilities to contain her out of control magic. The second half of the book focuses a lot more on their growing relationship, which transforms into a super hot slow burn romance. Being a shadow walker, Riker is just as isolated and lonely as Haven.
Why this book is a 5 star for me-
-This book is heavily character driven, and for me Haven is a great character. There wasn't a scene from her POV that I didn't enjoy. I also really liked Riker, and even several of the supporting characters.
-From the moment I started it on audible to the moment it finished, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I woke up excited to start driving to work so I could listen to it, I went to bed thinking about it. I made an excuse to drive one town over on a Saturday just so I could get an hour of alone time to listen to it.
-I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I yelled, I had total anxiety. Oh my goddess what a ride!
-That ending though, I didn't see that coming.
100% I recommend this book, I will be reading the next and the one after that! Seriously fantastic job by this author!
This story takes place over the course of 3 years and there was a LOT of character development and progression for Haven. She has become one of my favorite female main characters of all time!
At the beginning of the story Haven arrives at the academy as a cadet for her training as seraphim. She is 18 and has lived her life in isolation; she'd never even left her family compound until the day she arrived. The first half of the story focuses on her struggles to control her growing powers, her training at the academy, and the relationships she builds (and loses) with the other characters. I've always loved stories about schools/academies that teach magic and combat, so I found the entire process and her struggles very entertaining. I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, so I'll just say: Haven really struggles and suffers, but she turns out to be really tough.
Part of Haven's training, and her struggles, involve Riker and his abilities to contain her out of control magic. The second half of the book focuses a lot more on their growing relationship, which transforms into a super hot slow burn romance. Being a shadow walker, Riker is just as isolated and lonely as Haven.
Why this book is a 5 star for me-
-This book is heavily character driven, and for me Haven is a great character. There wasn't a scene from her POV that I didn't enjoy. I also really liked Riker, and even several of the supporting characters.
-From the moment I started it on audible to the moment it finished, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I woke up excited to start driving to work so I could listen to it, I went to bed thinking about it. I made an excuse to drive one town over on a Saturday just so I could get an hour of alone time to listen to it.
-I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I yelled, I had total anxiety. Oh my goddess what a ride!
-That ending though, I didn't see that coming.
100% I recommend this book, I will be reading the next and the one after that! Seriously fantastic job by this author!
December 27, 2022
First things First
🙃Stick with book to the very end.You will be rewarded. 🤐.
The Author teases out and building up the story in 3 parts covering several years.
🌠My Fav part - is when Haven's Power Revealed.
Main characters are: older & experienced Ryker & much more sheltered yet bold & brave Haven. Their storyline begins in book side by side until they intersect.
Book is strong on my fav found family trope and dutyfirst teams who are there best when formed and function together.
- You are Introduced to a cast of compelling characters and locations that scenes occur in.
-Outside the Academy scenes - Where trust is tested throughout and Strategic game of power is sought.
- inside the Academy life - makes or breaks you, with tests of physical & mental nature. Some Forbidden relationships trope between instructors and students and students with students.
- Personal relationship angst of close quarter living. 😉
-My fav was hands down Dax in Haven's friendship group (&pod)and Silas in Rykers(&triad).☺️
-You'll get multiple Perspectives.
- Complex world-building.
-political intrigue & shifting alliances. fierce foes.magic.
💋Romance is a journey of hope,false& flawed starts, until eventual sense of rightness occurs.
📖Its a fast-moving plot and well-drawn tension, I was never bored and was always keen to know what would happen next.
📚immortals, action, adventure, mystery, violence, suspense, agendas, danger, diversity rep,strong female leads, alpha type males, sensual and hot scenes , incredible scene setting/world building, original and thrilling storyline, dark elements, fate, magic, and soooo much more.
🔥Hot Tip. While reading I suggest you take advantage of the authors resources like social media pages i.e TT where great inspo character art and scene teases are.
cheers
Jasmin E Reads
I honoured to have a arc of this fantastic upcoming author. I have also purchased the book As I believe in supporting author economic security. I do not review what i wouldnt buy myself.
I will update review on reread.
🙃Stick with book to the very end.You will be rewarded. 🤐.
The Author teases out and building up the story in 3 parts covering several years.
🌠My Fav part - is when Haven's Power Revealed.
Main characters are: older & experienced Ryker & much more sheltered yet bold & brave Haven. Their storyline begins in book side by side until they intersect.
Book is strong on my fav found family trope and dutyfirst teams who are there best when formed and function together.
- You are Introduced to a cast of compelling characters and locations that scenes occur in.
-Outside the Academy scenes - Where trust is tested throughout and Strategic game of power is sought.
- inside the Academy life - makes or breaks you, with tests of physical & mental nature. Some Forbidden relationships trope between instructors and students and students with students.
- Personal relationship angst of close quarter living. 😉
-My fav was hands down Dax in Haven's friendship group (&pod)and Silas in Rykers(&triad).☺️
-You'll get multiple Perspectives.
- Complex world-building.
-political intrigue & shifting alliances. fierce foes.magic.
💋Romance is a journey of hope,false& flawed starts, until eventual sense of rightness occurs.
📖Its a fast-moving plot and well-drawn tension, I was never bored and was always keen to know what would happen next.
📚immortals, action, adventure, mystery, violence, suspense, agendas, danger, diversity rep,strong female leads, alpha type males, sensual and hot scenes , incredible scene setting/world building, original and thrilling storyline, dark elements, fate, magic, and soooo much more.
🔥Hot Tip. While reading I suggest you take advantage of the authors resources like social media pages i.e TT where great inspo character art and scene teases are.
cheers
Jasmin E Reads
I honoured to have a arc of this fantastic upcoming author. I have also purchased the book As I believe in supporting author economic security. I do not review what i wouldnt buy myself.
I will update review on reread.
November 26, 2023
I will be honest but this book I almost DNFed it at the start of this book. Part 1 is dense with lots of people and side stories/characters that I was feeling overwhelmed with it all. But I stuck with it because the main story line intrigued me. Towards the end of part one I was sitting at a 3 for this book but halfway through part one it seemed to streamline into the main story line, and it started to go up and up and the ending which is a cliff hanger finally got me to a 4. I am really intrigued by how she ended this book as it is not something I had really seen before so I am really looking forward to reading the next book. I really enjoyed the main couple and their friends/main group. This is very much a found family and really drives it home that family is who you make not who you share blood with.
This book is about Haven who has been isolated all of her life from everyone around her even her family seeing her parents maybe 1-2x a year and never together. She goes to the academy where she is forced to rely on others and herself and grow as a person which requires a lot of trust on her end. When her magic makes itself known it turns out she has a rare thought to be extinct ability that makes her a target for those who would want to use and abuse her ability and if they can't have it no one can. It is then Ryker a very powerful shadow walker is brought in to teach her control over her abilities and his methods are not for the faint of heart. But even through these trials their lives keep circling one another and feelings start to grow. But will he be able to keep her safe when other seek to use her for their own gains? Read to find out.
This book is about Haven who has been isolated all of her life from everyone around her even her family seeing her parents maybe 1-2x a year and never together. She goes to the academy where she is forced to rely on others and herself and grow as a person which requires a lot of trust on her end. When her magic makes itself known it turns out she has a rare thought to be extinct ability that makes her a target for those who would want to use and abuse her ability and if they can't have it no one can. It is then Ryker a very powerful shadow walker is brought in to teach her control over her abilities and his methods are not for the faint of heart. But even through these trials their lives keep circling one another and feelings start to grow. But will he be able to keep her safe when other seek to use her for their own gains? Read to find out.
February 17, 2023
This was a fantasy with a slow burn romance that focused on the main character coming to power. I’ll definitely read the sequel, but the pacing and worldbuilding could have been better. This book felt a lot like the ACOTAR series, but without the politics and colonizer vibes SJM has.
I think the characters in this book were well developed and relatable. However, there were so many of them that it was hard to keep track in the beginning. In the first three chapters, you’re introduced to about 13 side characters who don’t seem to differ much, so it’s difficult to tell who will be important throughout the book. Some of the conversations also felt unrealistic or forced.
By the end of the book I felt that the world was well constructed, but it took way too long to get there. Everything is just introduced with no explanation, including the three-four main species(?) of characters. You eventually can piece info together, but you shouldn’t have to.
The pacing was really the reason this book wasn’t 4 stars. The book takes place over three years, meaning a LOT of time is skipped. This is fine sometimes, but it happens way too often and removed me from the book every time. I think the author just wanted to build the relationships before getting to the main plot, but it felt choppy.
Overall, if you want something that feels like ACOTAR but with less politics and more training sequences, I think you’d enjoy this book.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review.
I think the characters in this book were well developed and relatable. However, there were so many of them that it was hard to keep track in the beginning. In the first three chapters, you’re introduced to about 13 side characters who don’t seem to differ much, so it’s difficult to tell who will be important throughout the book. Some of the conversations also felt unrealistic or forced.
By the end of the book I felt that the world was well constructed, but it took way too long to get there. Everything is just introduced with no explanation, including the three-four main species(?) of characters. You eventually can piece info together, but you shouldn’t have to.
The pacing was really the reason this book wasn’t 4 stars. The book takes place over three years, meaning a LOT of time is skipped. This is fine sometimes, but it happens way too often and removed me from the book every time. I think the author just wanted to build the relationships before getting to the main plot, but it felt choppy.
Overall, if you want something that feels like ACOTAR but with less politics and more training sequences, I think you’d enjoy this book.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review.
May 30, 2023
Light in the Shadows by Georgia C Leigh is Book one in the Shadows and Light Series. This is the first time I’m reading this author but it makes sense since I believe this book is their debut. What an amazing first book! The writing was phenomenal to the point I read it cover to cover! (I know, not a shocker for me.) But it was so good I devoured it in a matter of hours! There was so much information and lore that went into this story that I felt so invested in everything I was reading. Holy Smokes, what a great world was described!!!
I absolutely loved the characters! Haven and Ryker are seriously the best… I loved reading the growth they both go through throughout the book. I love how descriptive the magic elements are… to a point while I was reading; I felt I could see everything as I read. I think that’s an amazing talent to be able to take your readers on an epic adventure! I enjoyed the feeling of you don’t know who to trust; that they’re out for themselves. This is fan-freaking-tastic fantasy romance book and it’s only book one in a series of four. I absolutely 100% need the next book because of that cliffhanger… oh man, my fingers gripped my kindle. To be honest, I need the whole series right now!!! I’m going to go bonkers while waiting. If you love a great fantasy read, look no further than this book!!
Final review:
5 out of 5 stars.
The characters and world
5 out of 5 magics.
I absolutely loved the characters! Haven and Ryker are seriously the best… I loved reading the growth they both go through throughout the book. I love how descriptive the magic elements are… to a point while I was reading; I felt I could see everything as I read. I think that’s an amazing talent to be able to take your readers on an epic adventure! I enjoyed the feeling of you don’t know who to trust; that they’re out for themselves. This is fan-freaking-tastic fantasy romance book and it’s only book one in a series of four. I absolutely 100% need the next book because of that cliffhanger… oh man, my fingers gripped my kindle. To be honest, I need the whole series right now!!! I’m going to go bonkers while waiting. If you love a great fantasy read, look no further than this book!!
Final review:
5 out of 5 stars.
The characters and world
5 out of 5 magics.
January 11, 2023
This was a wonderfully built fantasy world with a great story and characters that sticks with you. It’s about Haven, a sheltered girl who leaves home to train at the Academy. She has to learn to use her wings to fly, discover her gift, and learn combat and strategy. It’s also about Ryker, a Shadowwalker who walks between worlds, teaches at the Academy, and ends up being the only one who can help Haven master her gift.. but not through the nicest of ways.
This is a book of discovery. It’s heavy in the world building in the beginning, but it didn’t take me long to understand what was going on. It’s a slow burn fantasy, but when it finally ignites… POW! Explosions everywhere. Hot, sexy explosions. 😄
I loved it. I was rooting for Haven from early on and also for Ryker who deserved a bit of happiness. I was unsure who to trust and I love that there’s some political intrigue, backstabbing, front stabbing (haha), character growth and recline, but all-in-all, this book is about the characters and the path they’re on. I finished the book last night and I found myself missing them today. I’m excited for their journey in the next book!
Thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💜
This is a book of discovery. It’s heavy in the world building in the beginning, but it didn’t take me long to understand what was going on. It’s a slow burn fantasy, but when it finally ignites… POW! Explosions everywhere. Hot, sexy explosions. 😄
I loved it. I was rooting for Haven from early on and also for Ryker who deserved a bit of happiness. I was unsure who to trust and I love that there’s some political intrigue, backstabbing, front stabbing (haha), character growth and recline, but all-in-all, this book is about the characters and the path they’re on. I finished the book last night and I found myself missing them today. I’m excited for their journey in the next book!
Thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💜
November 19, 2025
Haven has been isolated all her life, a princess unbeknownst to everyone. After being sent to the Academy she finds friends, family and love but not without a lot of bumps and bruises along the way. Coming into herself, and learning her powers as a seraphim, as a phoenix, learning to fight to trust.
Ryker and River twins but completely opposite. A few times in the beginning I had to look back and see which during a scene she was dealing with, as time went on it was easier to distinguish. Just when you think that things are going to go smoothly for a time and she and one of the brothers can grow in their relationship after a horrific ComSim deadly incident they are in for a lengthier test of fate and love.
This book left me saying aloud “whaaattttt whyyyy” I was so engrossed in the book that I did not see it coming to an end and the way it did. A cliffhanger at its finest! Now heading to get the second book in the series and can’t wait to dive and see what is ahead for everyone!
Ryker and River twins but completely opposite. A few times in the beginning I had to look back and see which during a scene she was dealing with, as time went on it was easier to distinguish. Just when you think that things are going to go smoothly for a time and she and one of the brothers can grow in their relationship after a horrific ComSim deadly incident they are in for a lengthier test of fate and love.
This book left me saying aloud “whaaattttt whyyyy” I was so engrossed in the book that I did not see it coming to an end and the way it did. A cliffhanger at its finest! Now heading to get the second book in the series and can’t wait to dive and see what is ahead for everyone!
December 7, 2023
This book started out so slow. I wanted to DNF it at one point (hence why it took me almost 3 weeks to finish) but I was committed to meeting my reading goal for 2023 so I kept going. It’s a lot of character building and development. The romance is a SLOW burn but when it got there, I was immediately hooked and rooting for them. The plot took a while to get going and for the first half of the book, I was waiting for something, anything to happen. The first half of this book was a 2-star rating. Well, let me tell you, the last half of this book really sold me! Everything started making sense, the plot went into hyper drive, and the unexpected twists and turns were very unique and completely held my attention. At the end of this book, I knew I had to read the next one in the series and immediately purchased it. Goodreads doesn’t let you do half ratings, but I’d give this first book in the series a solid 3.5 stars
May 14, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. The worldbuilding blends nicely with the narrative, I felt invested in the love story, the world itself is unique and interesting, and it's very well written.
I do wish the characters and the plot were fleshed out a bit more. The main character, Haven, and one of her early love interests, River, are the two most constructed characters, but there are a host of other important people in this that I felt deserved a bit more page space. The plot itself has very interesting elements and flows nicely, but it seemed thin in places.
None of the aforementioned criticisms should dissuade people from reading this. Fantasy Romance isn't my chosen genre, but if this is representative of the genre as a whole, then I've been missing out on a host of wonderful stories. This is really well done.
I do wish the characters and the plot were fleshed out a bit more. The main character, Haven, and one of her early love interests, River, are the two most constructed characters, but there are a host of other important people in this that I felt deserved a bit more page space. The plot itself has very interesting elements and flows nicely, but it seemed thin in places.
None of the aforementioned criticisms should dissuade people from reading this. Fantasy Romance isn't my chosen genre, but if this is representative of the genre as a whole, then I've been missing out on a host of wonderful stories. This is really well done.
June 25, 2023
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Even days later I find myself still thinking about it. Especially about the emotional and very poignant ending to this book. Which does end on one heck of a cliffhanger.
In this book, we have a Haven, who is entering the Academy, in order to train to possibly attend the military. When it is discovered that Haven possesses some very rare magical abilities the academy pairs her up with Ryker, who has special magical abilities of his own. Unfortunately, Haven is having some difficulty unlocking her special powers, or controlling them when she does. They become close, and it turns into a bit of a rivals to lovers. Very slow burn and very delicious. This book has a little bit of everything for everyone. We have some tragic coming of age romances that absolutely do not turn out the way they thought they would. We have found Family with Haven and her pod mates. We have strained family relationships, and family secrets. And we definitely have some political intrigue and back door by trails amongst family members. The ending of this book is devastating emotionally. I cannot wait to start on the second book because I need to know how this ends up.
In this book, we have a Haven, who is entering the Academy, in order to train to possibly attend the military. When it is discovered that Haven possesses some very rare magical abilities the academy pairs her up with Ryker, who has special magical abilities of his own. Unfortunately, Haven is having some difficulty unlocking her special powers, or controlling them when she does. They become close, and it turns into a bit of a rivals to lovers. Very slow burn and very delicious. This book has a little bit of everything for everyone. We have some tragic coming of age romances that absolutely do not turn out the way they thought they would. We have found Family with Haven and her pod mates. We have strained family relationships, and family secrets. And we definitely have some political intrigue and back door by trails amongst family members. The ending of this book is devastating emotionally. I cannot wait to start on the second book because I need to know how this ends up.
May 24, 2024
Handsome, powerful Shadow walker, powerful Phoenix FC ( that’s brave smart and incredibly powerful, unique magic system, mates, creative world, sprinkled with some spice, and a plot that keeps you wanting to read more….. this has all the ingredients of a great series!
I think this first book sets you up for the rest of the series and keeps your attention. Just like how some say ACOTAR was not their favorite book in the series it still set you for the rest of it and it’s perfect! I think of this like that. There might be some moments that might seem unimportant but there’s a meaning for it all and I can’t wait to see what happens next! My heart breaks at the end because they found their Mates only to be torn apart by jealous power hungry conspirators but I can’t wait till these two powerful entities rip them apart. lol. Maybe I’m a bit morally grey too 😉.
I think this first book sets you up for the rest of the series and keeps your attention. Just like how some say ACOTAR was not their favorite book in the series it still set you for the rest of it and it’s perfect! I think of this like that. There might be some moments that might seem unimportant but there’s a meaning for it all and I can’t wait to see what happens next! My heart breaks at the end because they found their Mates only to be torn apart by jealous power hungry conspirators but I can’t wait till these two powerful entities rip them apart. lol. Maybe I’m a bit morally grey too 😉.
November 18, 2022
I love love love this story. Light in the Shadows was such a captivating read. I got lost in the world the author created, and became attached to the characters in the process. This novel brings you on quite the journey with the FL. The character development and growth was outstanding. I felt like I was growing up alongside Haven and her pod. I really enjoyed the relationship development between the ML/FL, they developed such a beautiful relationship. The tension and chemistry was divine, some parts had me squealing in excitement lol. I’m excited, and nervous for the next novel, I can’t wait to continue the story of Ryker and Haven. Also, Ryker is dreamyyyy.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 13, 2023
This is a promising start to this new series from this new author. It took a while to get into this as there were a Lot of new characters to get used to and the world-building was a little slow but once it picked up I really enjoyed it. I feel a reference of who’s who would help along with their abilities. The female character is really likeable and I enjoyed seeing her start it come into her own. Her character growth is really good. The plot itself is quite fast paced but It’s quite slow burn with plenty of tensions. Definitely invested in this book to see how the story progresses. If you like academy romance, strong heroines. Alpha makes, magical abilities and plenty of action you’ll enjoy this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 19, 2023
I thought this book was dull. The political parts were mildly interesting, but most of the book centres around the love life of a pretty bland, vanilla girl. She ends up with a rather bland, vanilla guy. There's a lot of violence that gets magically healed and no one suffers trauma from it. The world building is non-existent because it's our world, just with very good looking magical people in it. Oh, there are foriegnish names for the places, but they go to pubs and drink whiskey and beer and eat cheeseburgers and go dancing. It's literally a soap opera where some of the people can fly.
I tried to finish, but gave up with about 10 chapters left because I just didn't care what happened to anyone. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley
I tried to finish, but gave up with about 10 chapters left because I just didn't care what happened to anyone. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley
June 11, 2023
This book was amazing! I was conflicted on finishing this book in dread it would end horribly but it came with a twist and I can’t wait to read the second book.
Strong female characters and males. Suspenseful, emotional, love scenes were sensual in a way lovers should have. Growing into a woman , finding power and much more.
Strong males who were protective and didn’t just beat their chests like animals to show their dominance in their own way but be soft.
So much detail was put into this book, a little to much but to be honest without it I don’t think I would grasped the entirety of the surroundings, each person, each page had a purpose.
I received a free copy for this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Strong female characters and males. Suspenseful, emotional, love scenes were sensual in a way lovers should have. Growing into a woman , finding power and much more.
Strong males who were protective and didn’t just beat their chests like animals to show their dominance in their own way but be soft.
So much detail was put into this book, a little to much but to be honest without it I don’t think I would grasped the entirety of the surroundings, each person, each page had a purpose.
I received a free copy for this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 2, 2023
Light in the Shadows
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Tropes:
~Academy Setting
~Magic
~Found Family
~Enemies to Lovers
~Fae, Demons and more!
Review:
Book 1 in the Shadow and Light series. This was so good! I ate this right up!
I enjoy an academy setting fantasy novel and this certainly delivered!
I was captured right from the start and struggled to put it down!
This is my first book by this author, and I am not disappointed whatsoever!
I look forward to reading more works by this author!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Tropes:
~Academy Setting
~Magic
~Found Family
~Enemies to Lovers
~Fae, Demons and more!
Review:
Book 1 in the Shadow and Light series. This was so good! I ate this right up!
I enjoy an academy setting fantasy novel and this certainly delivered!
I was captured right from the start and struggled to put it down!
This is my first book by this author, and I am not disappointed whatsoever!
I look forward to reading more works by this author!
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